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The Westchester District Attorney says no police officers will be charged in the fatal shooting of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. after a grand jury declined to indict any of the officers involved. Chamberlain, a 68-year-old African American and former Marine, was shot dead in his own home in White Plains, New York, after he mistakenly set off his LifeAid medical alert pendant. We air newly released audio and video of the shooting, as well from his sister’s call to police as she tried to defuse the situation. [includes rush transcript]

TRANSCRIPT

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We begin today’s show with the latest on the shooting death of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., the 68-year-old African-American veteran who was shot dead inside his own home by a White Plains New York police officer in November. On Thursday, the Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced a grand jury declined to indict any of the officers involved.

JANETDIFIORE: The death of Mr. Chamberlain inside his apartment and during the encounter with White Plains police on November 19th was a tragedy on many, many levels. A grand jury heard all the evidence on the use of physical force and deadly physical force by the police in this encounter. The grand jury also heard the evidence of the threatened use of deadly physical force by Mr. Chamberlain during the encounter. After due deliberation on the evidence presented in this matter, the grand jury found that there was no reasonable cause to vote an indictment.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The police were called to Kenneth Chamberlain’s apartment after he accidentally set off his LifeAid medical alert device. After Chamberlain refused to let officers into the apartment, police broke down the door and then shot him with a taser, then with bean bags fired from a shotgun, and finally a white police officer named Anthony Carelli shot him dead. Police claim Chamberlain tried to attack them with a knife.

Randolph McLaughlin, an attorney for the Chamberlain family, said they would now seek a federal probe into the shooting.

RANDOLPH McLAUGHLIN: We’re moving beyond Westchester County now. We’re going to put this case in the hands of the United States attorney general. We’re good to be drafting a letter for release tomorrow morning to Eric Holder and to the U.S. attorney for the Southern District, Preet Bharara, and calling for a full investigation not only in this case, which we think was a civil rights violation, given what happened here, but given what we’ve learned about the other cases pending and threatened in this county involving White Plains police officers, we’re going to ask the U.S. attorney and the attorney general to use their powers under federal law to conduct a full investigation of this department. And we believe, when they do that, they will find civil rights violations.

AMYGOODMAN: In a moment, we’ll be joined by Mayo Bartlett, the attorney for the Chamberlain family. But first we turn to a remarkable series of audio and video recordings from the morning of Kenneth Chamberlain’s death. Much of the audio was recorded by Chamberlain’s LifeAid medical alert device. The video was recorded from the police taser gun used to shoot the 68-year-old man before he was shot dead. We begin with the initial call that prompted the police response.

OFFICERCIANCI: White Plains Police Officer Cianci.

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: Good morning. This is LifeAid reporting a medical alert.

OFFICERCIANCI: Where at?

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: One thirty-five—

OFFICERCIANCI: Yep.

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: South Lexington Avenue.

OFFICERCIANCI: OK. Apartment number?

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: One-B, like "boy."

OFFICERCIANCI: One-B, OK. Medical alert?

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: Yes.

OFFICERCIANCI: OK. What’s the name of the resident?

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: Last name is Chamberlain, first name Kenneth.

OFFICERCIANCI: OK. Did you get a response from him at all or no?

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: No, nothing at all from him.

AMYGOODMAN: After the White Plains police arrived at Ken Chamberlain’s apartment, Chamberlain told an operator from LifeAid that he was not sick and did not need assistance.

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: This is your help center for LifeAid, Mr. Chamberlain. Do you need help?

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: Yes, this is an emergency! I have the White Plains Police Department banging on my door, and I did not call them, and I am not sick!

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: Everything’s all right, sir?

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: No, it’s not all right! I need help! The White Plains Police Department are banging on my door!

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: Mr. Chamberlain, go to your door and answer it.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: [inaudible] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

LIFEAIDOPERATOR: Open your door for the police, Mr. Chamberlain.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: I didn’t call the police. I did not call the police!

AMYGOODMAN: A video camera on the police taser gun recorded the next sequence. You can hear Kenneth Chamberlain say the police have stun guns and shotguns. He then predicted the police would probably kill him. Again, listen closely.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: They have stun guns and shotguns! [inaudible]

POLICEOFFICER: Mr. Chamberlain! Mr. Chamberlain!

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: They’ve come to kill me with that, because I have a bad heart.

POLICEOFFICER: It doesn’t have to happen that way. [inaudible] just have to open the door.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: Get out! I didn’t call you! I did not call you. Why are you here? Why are you here?

POLICEOFFICER: Life alert called us.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: Why are you here?

POLICEOFFICER: Life alert called us.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: They have their nine-millimeter Glocks at the ready. They’re getting ready to kill me or beat me up.

POLICEOFFICER: Open the door.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: I’m OK.

POLICEOFFICER: Let them check you out. And then we will leave.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: I’m OK. I’m OK. I’m fine.

POLICEOFFICER: Yeah, but I’m not a doctor.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: I am fine!

POLICEOFFICER: No, nothing here.

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: Leave. I’m fine. Now leave. I’m fine.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: While the police were threatening to break down Kenneth Chamberlain’s door, Chamberlain’s sister called the police in an attempt to defuse the situation.

OFFICERCIANCI: White Plains police emergency.

CAROLMATTHEWS: Yes, good morning. My name is Carol Matthews. I’m—I understand that the police are down with my brother, Kenny Chamberlain.

OFFICERCIANCI: Yes, ma’am.

CAROLMATTHEWS: And I’m—you know, I’m trying to get through to him. You know, he is on medication.

OFFICERCIANCI: He is on medication, right, yeah.

CAROLMATTHEWS: Yeah, he has the paper that he’s supposed to carry around with him.

OFFICERCIANCI: OK, no problem.

CAROLMATTHEWS: And, you know, he’s like really—he seems like he’s done snapped, you know what I mean?

OFFICERCIANCI: Sure.

CAROLMATTHEWS: I just don’t know what to do at this time.

OFFICERCIANCI: OK, well, it’s no problem.

CAROLMATTHEWS: The number that I have—

OFFICERCIANCI: Just, you know what? We’re going to handle it on our end.

CAROLMATTHEWS: Yeah, but I mean, I don’t—you know, they say he has a—someone said he has a knife or something?

OFFICERCIANCI: Who said that?

CAROLMATTHEWS: The people from the station, you know, from the alert station, life alert.

OFFICERCIANCI: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not sure. Whatever it is, though, we’re going to handle it. And then he can—

CAROLMATTHEWS: Yeah, but that’s—

OFFICERCIANCI: —certainly get in touch with you as soon as he can.

CAROLMATTHEWS: Because I don’t want them to shoot him, you know.

OFFICERCIANCI: No, it’s not going to come to that.

CAROLMATTHEWS: Well, they said that—my daughter is there also. She said that they—that they have their guns out. They’re trying to talk to him, you know, but that’s—

OFFICERCIANCI: Right, right. Well, you know what, ma’am? Listen, just stay in contact with your daughter. She knows more than I do. I’m inside right now. I don’t really have any of the information, so you just talk with her, and she’ll relay you any information that she gets. She’ll probably get it to you faster than I could.

CAROLMATTHEWS: OK.

OFFICERCIANCI: OK? Have a good evening. All right, bye-bye.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Soon after Kenneth Chamberlain’s sister was assured the police would not shoot her brother, that is just what happened. Police video shows the moment police broke down his door and shot him with a taser. TV viewers will see a few quick glimpses of Kenneth Chamberlain. The 68-year-old man was wearing boxer shorts and no shirt. This video was recorded by a camera on the police taser. Listen closely and you can hear the sound of the taser.

POLICEOFFICER: You got it?

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: Shoot! Shoot me! No! Shoot me! Shoot me!

POLICEOFFICER: Need another cartridge?

KENNETHCHAMBERLAIN SR.: Shoot me!

AMYGOODMAN: You can actually see the electricity shooting Kenneth Chamberlain. The video cuts out at this point. Within minutes, Kenneth Chamberlain was shot dead by the police.

Kenneth Chamberlain’s son, Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., we’re hoping will join us from Washington, D.C. We’ll also be joined by the family’s lawyer, Mayo Bartlett. But we’re going to break right now. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. You can go to our website to see and listen to the video and the audiotapes throughout the day. Back in a minute.

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